Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kinmen and Chiayi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiayi: $1,041 a month against $1,069 in Kinmen, rent and utilities included – about $340 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kinmen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

51

Cost of Living Index in Kinmen
Learn more

Kinmen Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
Learn more

Chiayi Living Index

Jump to prices

Kinmen

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,069

/mo nomad

Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,041

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kinmen and in Chiayi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kinmen and in Chiayi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,069 in Kinmen versus $1,041 in Chiayi.

Kinmen $1,069
Chiayi $1,041

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,808 in Kinmen versus $1,471 in Chiayi.

Kinmen $1,808
Chiayi $1,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,548 in Kinmen versus $1,901 in Chiayi.

Kinmen $2,548
Chiayi $1,901

Living in Kinmen is roughly 3% more expensive than in Chiayi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kinmen 21% lower, Chiayi 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.72 NT$154

$4.59 NT$150

2.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.66 NT$1,000

$46.34 NT$1,511

-33.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.97 NT$162

$5.65 NT$184

-12.04%

Cappuccino

$2.94 NT$96.0

$3.29 NT$107

-10.64%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 NT$29.15

$0.85 NT$27.72

4.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 NT$22.87

$0.67 NT$21.81

4.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 NT$56.4

$2.98 NT$97.2

-41.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 NT$78.3

$3.58 NT$117

-32.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.94 NT$95.9

$2.95 NT$96.2

-0.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.78 NT$58.0

$1.95 NT$63.5

-8.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 NT$92.1

$3.05 NT$99.5

-7.21%

Eggs

$2.68 NT$87.5

$2.63 NT$85.8

1.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.11 NT$623

$18.97 NT$619

0.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 NT$259

$9.89 NT$322

-19.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.63 NT$673

$21.28 NT$694

-3.05%

Apples (1kg)

$4.11 NT$134

$4.72 NT$154

-12.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.40 NT$78.2

$3.28 NT$107

-26.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 NT$94.3

$2.87 NT$93.5

0.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 NT$103

$4.23 NT$138

-25.06%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 NT$86.4

$2.65 NT$86.2

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 NT$66.1

$2.20 NT$71.6

-7.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 NT$70.3

$1.72 NT$56.1

25.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 NT$33.58

$1.12 NT$36.48

-8.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.79 NT$124

$3.75 NT$122

1.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.63 NT$379

$4.48 NT$146

159.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 NT$51.9

$1.58 NT$51.4

0.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 NT$72.0

$2.13 NT$69.5

3.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 NT$19.21

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.25 NT$1,084

$12.12 NT$395

174.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.66 NT$86.7

$2.54 NT$82.8

4.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 NT$24.08

$0.45 NT$14.70

64.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.47 NT$309

$8.97 NT$292

5.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 NT$33.54

$1.00 NT$32.62

3.00%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.4K NT$1.2M

$34.1K NT$1.1M

3.83%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$23.1K NT$752.0K

$23.5K NT$765.9K

-1.81%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$87.0 NT$2,836

$64.7 NT$2,108

34.53%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$17.11 NT$558

$17.55 NT$572

-2.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.39 NT$730

$26.76 NT$872

-16.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.98 NT$1,173

$30.55 NT$996

17.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.13 NT$330

$9.62 NT$314

5.30%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$565 NT$18.4K

$712 NT$23.2K

-20.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K NT$538.6K

$16.1K NT$525.9K

2.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 NT$2,016

$62.2 NT$2,027

-0.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.20 NT$1,017

$39.01 NT$1,272

-20.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 NT$2,660

$82.8 NT$2,698

-1.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 NT$3,314

$102 NT$3,317

-0.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$414 NT$13.5K

$374 NT$12.2K

10.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 NT$8,245

$244 NT$7,940

3.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 NT$34.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 NT$23.6K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,706 NT$251.3K

$3,070 NT$100.1K

151.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,832 NT$157.6K

$1,843 NT$60.1K

162.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,038 NT$66.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.39

2.4

-0.42%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Kinmen: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiayi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Kinmen

$359 33.6%

Chiayi

$372 35.7% 3.4% $12

Accommodation & Living

Kinmen

$253 23.7%

Chiayi

$244 23.4% 3.7% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kinmen

$126 11.8%

Chiayi

$109 10.5% 13.9% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Kinmen

$124 11.6%

Chiayi

$129 12.4% 3.4% $4.2

Eating Out

Kinmen

$108 10.1%

Chiayi

$121 11.7% 12.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Kinmen

$56 5.3%

Chiayi

$50 4.8% 11.5% $6.4

Getting Around

Kinmen

$42 3.9%

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6% 59.7% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $414 in Kinmen and $374 in Chiayi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $31 in Kinmen vs $46 in Chiayi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $359 vs $372 per month, with Kinmen cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Kinmen

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🕒 Local time

20:12 8:12 PM

Same time as Kinmen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,568

269,874

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

100 TWD = 3.07 USD

100 TWD = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kinmen Chiayi 250 km

From you

Kinmen
Chiayi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Kinmen vs Chiayi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiayi wins on cost – living expenses run 3% lower than in Kinmen. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiayi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,603 in Kinmen and $1,561 in Chiayi to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $414 in Kinmen versus $374 in Chiayi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,069 per month in Kinmen versus $1,041 in Chiayi – Chiayi is about 3% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Chiayi runs roughly 64% less than in Kinmen. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Chiayi is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Safety-wise, Kinmen and Chiayi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.